My Father's Daughter
by Maxy Steel
Summary: Ten years in the future, Max has two young daughters. Fifteen years after that, he has vanished, and his daughters are determined to find out either where he is, or who took his life.
1. A Fitting Farewell

_Disclaimer: Max Steel doesn't belong to me. It belongs to a ton of companies, such as Foundation Imaging, KidsWB!, and Netter design. I am not affiliated personally with anyof these groups. The cast of charcaters you recognize from the show are obviously the show's, but Kelsea and Molly McGrath are mine, as is Enrique Martinez. Please ask before using them. Anyway, on with the story!_

  


**A FITTING FAREWELL**

**BY: **

**Maxy Steel**


	2. A Legacy Reborn

_Disclaimer: Max Steel doesn't belong to me. It belongs to a ton of companies, such as Foundation Imaging, KidsWB!, and Netter design. I am not affiliated personally with anyof these groups. The cast of charcaters you recognize from the show are obviously the show's, but Kelsea and Molly McGrath are mine, as is Enrique Martinez. Please ask before using them. Anyway, on with the story!_

  


**A LEGACY REBORN**

**BY:**

**Maxy Steel**

  


_15 years later...._

  


19-year-old Kelsea McGrath slammed her fist down onto her blaring alarm clock, effectively shattering it's plastic casing. She started at the crunch, and turned her head, fully awake. With an irritated sigh, she got out of bed, stepped into her slippers, and padded out to the kitchen. She had barely set foot on the linoleum tiling, when she was caught in a hug by her older sister, who accidentally dumped her half-full cup of luke warm coffee all over both of them.

"Morning, baby sis!" the black-haired sister greeted, much too cheerfully for morning. Still, Kelsea returned the affection with equaled enthusiasm.

"Morning, Mol-Mol," she replied, running a hand through her longish blond hair. Another female joined them, coming from the last bedroom.

"Morning, girls," the newcomer greeted, yawning and brushing her hand through her hair.

"Hi, mom," both daughters chorused together, hugging their mother. Rachel smiled, then looked to her youngest child.

"How are your levels?" she asked. The young girl flicked her left wrist, causing a very simplistic bio-link to appear. It only had energy level gauges. She held it out for her mother's approval.

"Uncle Berto said I could join N-Tek soon," the young blonde said, smiling hopefully. Her mother returned the expression as Kelsea dropped her arm back to her side.

"We'll talk about it when you're out of college, Kelsea," Rachel replied, going into the kitchen. Molly smiled at her sister and chuckled, not entirely mocking.

"I.E., hurry up and graduate with honors so the whole McGrath clan can work at N-Tek," she told her sister. Kelsea immediately fixed her with a prim glare, a smile underneath it betraying her attempt at irritation, pointless as it was.

"I'd sign on as a Steel, _muchos gracias_," she retorted, passing a hand over her face. Her blond hair became rusty brown, much lighter and more polished-looking than Max's had ever been, and her brown eyes, inherited from her father, turned green.

"I still wonder why your coloring is different from Dad's," Molly said thoughtfully, reaching out and lightly punching her younger sibling in the shoulder.

"I wonder that as well, considering you're so like him," Rachel added, coming up behind her daughters. Kelsea turned around, reverting to her old form in the process.

"I am my father's daughter," she said brightly, a smile on her face. Both mother and older sister sighed at her, the latter covering up a snicker.

"I suppose. But still, injecting yourself with nano-tech wasn't one of your more brilliant ideas," the mother threw back. Molly tossed an arm around her sister's shoulders.

"16 is a landmark age, mom. Kels was just adding to the thrill," like most big sisters, she stuck up for her younger sibling. Both blonde women smiled, the younger one out of gratitude.

"I'm gonna take the cycle to class today," Kelsea announced suddenly. Rachel and Molly exchanged fake hesitant glances. Kelsea folded her arms across her chest.

"All right, baby girl. But, if you don't wear a helmet, big sister'll glue one to your head," Molly both agreed and threatened. Kelsea threw her a smile.

"I'm going to hurt you if you're still calling me that when I'm 50," she retorted coolly, then both laughed. Rachel chuckled at her daughters.

"Both of you most assuredly get your senses of humor from your father's side," she told them.

"Maybe, but we get our stunning good looks from you, Mom," the elder sister interjected. The youngest blonde nodded agreeably. Their mother regarded both girls with a penetrating look.

"Why do I get the sudden feeling you're about to ask me something that I would only agree to if in a good mood?" Rachel replied knowingly.

"Page 52 in 'The Convincing Child Handbook'. 'Flattery will increase your chances of getting what you want,'" the blonde daughter piped, pantomiming opening and leafing through a book. Molly rolled her eyes, and jabbed her sibling playfully in the stomach to shut her up. 

"As I was gonna say, Mom...I'll be home late tonight. Date with Enrique. That all right? You don't need to wait up," the dark-haired member of the family explained.

"Thank you for telling me. Just don't come charging in here loudly if you're gonna be in later than midnight," the girl's mother told her. Molly nodded and headed off to her room, Kelsea on her heels needling her, in a sisterly way, about dating a man the same age as her younger sister. Rachel poured herself another cup of coffee, and turned to the hallway. She paused outside Molly's room, listening to her children argue about what the elder one should wear for her date. The blonde smiled to herself, and opened her own door. Setting the coffee cup on the bedside table, she turned to rummage through her jewelry box, hunting for a pair of earrings. Her hand bumped a part of the box, and a hidden drawer popped loose. Inside it were two things; a photo and an old newspaper clipping. Picking up both, she smiled at the picture, but her green eyes turned stormy when she looked at the clipping. 'Extreme Athlete Caught in Explosion; Body Never Found.'

"Josh...Max, where did you go?" she asked the aged piece of paper, her eyes misting over. Fifteen years hadn't taken away the pain. She turned her attention back to the photograph, taken at their wedding, then looked in the mirror. She hadn't changed much, physically. A wrinkle here or there, but nothing too noticeable. The only changes where psychological.

"You still miss him, don't you, Mom?" a voice asked behind her. Rachel turned to look at Kelsea, smiling slightly.

"I do, Kels. And I'll never stop. Your father was the kind of man you can't forget," she sighed. The younger blonde picked the article from her mother's hand as Rachel got up to dress. The girl's eyes widened as she read it.

"'Body never found'? Does that mean Dad could still be alive?" she asked, looking at her mother over the top of the worn piece of paper.

"Not possible. I watched the house go up," the older blonde replied, turning around and finishing up buttoning her blouse. Kelsea, being her father's daughter, refused to just let the matter drop out of sight. But, for her mother, for the moment, she tucked it away into the father reaches of her mind.

*****

  


Later that day, Kelsea had finished school for the day, and was parking her cycle at N-tek. She prowled around the sports tech world aimlessly, until a tap on her shoulder made her jump. Spinning around, she smiled at her sister.

"Hello, little girl. Do you need help finding your parents?" Molly asked in a saleswoman manner. She earned a poke in the shoulder for her efforts.

"Very funny, Mol-Mol. Why aren't you working?" the blonde sister replied smartly. The older sister laughed softly.

"You got me. I was taking a quick break. I leave in two hours to meet Ric. What are you doing here?" she replied, shooting her sister a grin.

"Looking for you. Can I borrow your auth pass?" Kelsea questioned. Her big sister tilted her head to one side, raising an eyebrow. There was a silent moment.

"For what reason, even though we both know I'll give in, regardless?" she asked finally. Kelsea spent half a second debating if she should say school, but quickly dropped it.

"I wanna dig through the N-Tek database, see if I can find out more on Dad," she explained simply. Molly looked surprised, then sighed, still smiling.

"You're going through the same stage I did, baby girl," she told her younger sibling.

"I figured. So can I?" the blonde sister replied, a hopeful note in her voice. Her big sister chuckled.

"All right, all right. Just take notes. I wanna know too," Molly submitted, digging into her purse, and pulling out the plastic pass. Kelsea took it and hugged her sibling.

"I will. Have fun tonight," she said cheerfully. Molly nodded, adjusted her bag, and blew out the door to use up the rest of her quick break. The blonde McGrath adjusted her backpack, and hurried for the lower levels.

Twenty minutes later, the youngest McGrath had tucked herself into sister's room, a heaping pile of old mission logs with her, obtained from Berto after much pleading and convincing. She was now settled on the floor, reports stacked around, an unused notebook on her lap, a pencil stuck behind her ear.

"Yeouch..." the teenager muttered to herself, scanning over a report. September, dated for 25 years ago. Berlin, kidnapped peace conference attendees, and her mother had been part of the stolen group. The girl chuckled, realizing her father had been no older than she. Kelsea continued flipping randomly through the reports, pausing at one from February, the following year to Berlin. A sunken ship containing a few canisters of plutonium. Dad had saved it, of course. Flipping to the personal notes, she found, to her surprise, that Max had suffered nitrogen narcosis during the mission, and that it had been her parent's first kiss. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that someone, probably Berto, had added that note after the report had been typed, considering it was in pencil. She chuckled, and set the report aside with the others.

Kelsea was in the middle of an account of how her father had battled Psycho and sent the cyborg to his final resting place, an event that had happened 17 years ago, and was almost at the end of her first notebook, when she heard the door open. Glancing up, she smiled at Berto, standing in the doorway.

"Hey, Uncle Berto," she greeted, smiling and pushing her hair out of her face. The Spanish agent tried to fix her with a glare, but failed, smiling instead.

"It's almost 8:00, _chica_. Your sister left about ten minutes ago. You should head home yourself. Rachel is going to start getting worried," he told her. With a grin, the blond teenager began scooping up reports into a pile, and simultaneously shoveling loose article into her bag. Unbeknownst to either of them, a report was caught by her hand, and tucked in between her psychology notebook and history. She shouldered her bag, collected the reports, and tried to brush out the door. Berto stopped her, taking the papers from her hands. The girl folded her arms, sticking her lip out a bit.

"I was gonna put them away," she objected, a little insultedly. Berto retorted with a cool stare.

"I'll take care of them. You just get home before your _madre_ panics and sends out a search party," he retorted. Kelsea hugged him, and hurried down the hall, waving at him.

Rachel was out getting dinner when the youngest McGrath arrived home. Simple intuition told her that Molly had just left a few minutes before she got home. Hurrying to her room, she tossed her bag on the bed, changed, then decided to sort out her bag by the very effective method of dumping it upside down on her bed. Quickly, she was surprised to discover the report in her bag. She turned it over, and looked at the date. Something clicked for her, and she knew this was the last mission her father had gone on before his death. Eagerly, she flipped open. _Quite the curious kitten, aren't you, Miss McGrath?_ she chuckled to herself. The report contain nothing too interesting, a little background information, a photo of the laser burn her father had attained during his escape. It was the side notes that caught her attention. 

"Threat, targeted attack?" she muttered, reading the short descriptions of both the call and the attack, the closed her eyes. Dim memories of shouting, tires squealing, being jerked around...with a start, she opened her eyes, realizing that she had been in the car during that attack.

"This woman...could she have been the one who got Dad?" the young woman muttered to herself, just as the phone rang. She jumped, yelped, and rushed for the kitchen, chiding herself about her jumpiness. The communications device trilled again as she raced into the room, smashed into the counter, and grabbed the receiver.

"H-hello?" she panted, wincing and rubbing her thigh where she had banged it on the handle of the lower cupboard.

"Kelsea. Is Molly home?" Enrique's voice asked breathlessly. The blonde turned and settled in a leaning position against the countertop.

"N-no, Ric. Why would she be? She's supposed to be out with you," she replied, pushing herself up onto the counter. There was a worried sigh from the young man's end. Faintly, in the back ground, the girl could hear low voices and a muffled moan.

"Well, if you can get a hold of her, tell her I'll be late," he said finally, then started to hang up.

"Wait! What's happened?" Kelsea replied quickly. Enrique sighed again.

"Jadoku attack. We've got five down. I'm needed here, at least until we've got the worst stabilized. There was a little lull, so I called," the young man explained in two breaths. Kelsea gasped, putting a hand over her mouth.

"Are they gonna be okay?" she asked worriedly. _What is it with that woman and attacking?_ she asked herself silently.

"We've already lost one. The rest have a pretty good chance, though," he told her in a quiet voice. Kelsea slipped off the counter.

"Oh no...well, where were you two going? Maybe I can call her," the blonde teenager replied. Enrique nodded to himself, sighing softly.

"She and I were going to that new restaurant by the pier..." the half-Spanish boy trailed off. Kelsea looked at the phone curiously, wondering if the connection had been severed.

"Ric...? Something happen?" she asked cautiously. The pause continued for a long moment.

"_Madre de Dios!_" the young man yelped suddenly. The girl winced and held the phone away from her ear for a second.

"Ric?" she repeated, a little more frantically, gripping the receiver a little tighter.

"We picked up these agents from near the pier! What if Jadoku is still there?!" Enrique cried. Kelsea almost dropped the phone, hearing him. She recovered quickly, renewing her vise-like grip on the phone.

"I'm gonna go find her," she announced in a calm voice. There was a surprised noise from Enrique.

"Kelsea?! You can't!" he almost screamed. Sighing, the young woman shook her head.

"Don't argue, Ric. Meet me there if you want. Wish me luck," was the quiet reply. Then the phone went dead. The male teenager stared at the receiver for a moment.

"I'll be there as soon as I can," he whispered, then hurried to go get himself cleared to leave. _Dad's gonna be surprised,_ he thought to himself, rushing to his room.

Dropping the phone on the counter, Kelsea dashed to her room, grabbed her boots, and tried to yank them on. She bounced on one foot into her sister's room. Jerking her boot on, the young woman rushed to the bed, stuck her hand between the mattress and box spring, pulling out the N-Tek issue Molly kept there. She stared at it for a long moment, took a deep breath, and shoved it into her belt, then raced back out the door. Snatching her jacket from the back of the couch as she blew by, Kelsea slid it on as she darted out her door, and jumped on her cycle. With a quick prayer that her sister would be okay, she jammed on her helmet, and roared away.

"Mol, you'd better be okay," she growled softly. The night was dark, cloudy. A perfect setting for a battle.

The cycle's tires squealed as the teenager threw on the brake. The air was heavy with the mist coming off the sea on her right. Kelsea tossed her helmet, jumping at the clunk of it hitting the cement. The heels of her boots clicked as she began to cautiously scout around. Impressively tall buildings rose on either side.

"Mol-Mol? You around?" she called hesitantly, barely raising her voice above it's normal level. The watery silence answered her. The pier was entirely deserted. However, one of the warehouse doors was open. After a long moment of hesitation, the girl stepped over, looked around, and slipped inside. Immediately, the intense smell of fish made her regret her choice. Clapping her left hand over her nose and mouth, her right went to her belt, fingers closing around the barrel. There was silence, save for her clicking boots, as Kelsea moved around the space.

"Enrique is gonna be here soon," she muttered, as if to reassure herself. From outside, there was a thudding noise, followed quickly by a sharp yelp that made the blonde's hair stand on end. Whipping around, she dashed out the door. Immediately, she froze, listening for the intruder. Soft, clumsy footsteps echoed from the alley between two buildings about 30 feet from her position.

"Mol?" Kelsea called worriedly, taking a step forward. From the alley, a lone figure appeared, panting, clutching her left arm. The teenager gasped, recognizing her sister. Molly didn't seem to notice her baby sister, however. She was gasping for air with increasing desperation, and wild-eyed. Twenty feet from the entrance she had come from, the dark-haired female collapsed.

"Molly!" the blonde sister yelled, moving to run to her. She'd taken three steps, when a new figure joined the group. The woman had an air of mystery to her, especially with her clothing choice. Long sleeved black shirt, cropped short to show off her flat stomach, complete with a silver "Cleopatra-style" collar, black pants, and heeled black boots. Her black hair hung straight to her waist, with semi-bright green streaks running through the center of the top of her hair, and at the sides, just above each ear. A black mask covered her face from just under the eyes to her neck, and a large tattoo of a coiled up rattle snake on her stomach, and a silver dagger at her hip completed the look. A large boa was draped across her shoulders, and a viper was curled around her left arm.

"_Jadoku,_" Kelsea spat without introduction, pulling out the gun with more confidence than she really felt. She was certain the woman smiled then. Jadoku held out her right arm, pointing. The boa's head rose. The long tongue flicked out, chilling the girl.

"Daija, _shuugeki_," she said, in a deep, smooth voice. Immediately, the large serpent dropped to the ground. Kelsea gasped, realizing it was heading for her sister. With a shaking hand, she pulled the trigger. Daija hissed as the bullet tore through her middle, then made a lunge forward at Molly. Another crack of gunfire, and the snake shriveled into a ball, dead. Jadoku's eyes narrowed as she looked at the girl. Kelsea moved to get to her sister's side.

"Dokuhebi! _Shuurai_!" the older woman shouted suddenly. The viper hit the ground, and rushed at the girl. Kelsea squeaked, taking a step back. Dokuhebi paused a few feet shy of his target, coiling into a strike position. The blonde's shaking hand directed her weapon at the serpent. The viper sprung at her. She shut her eyes, and fired. When she opened her eyes, her attempted killer lay crumpled in a pool of blood. Jadoku's hands were clenched into fists. Red anger flared in her eyes. The gun was rapidly pointed at the villaness.

"Three bullets left. Want to call it a draw?" Kelsea called, trying not to tremble. Dozens of agents had met premature deaths at this woman's hand. Trained N-Tek agents. She wondered why she wasn't begging for her life. Surely this was the end.

"You are a pain, _koukouji_. But, better than most of the opposition I've dealt with. I'll give you the privilege of a quick death," Jadoku growled. Sweat ran down Kelsea's face. The older woman's dagger was in her hand, and she was rushing the young girl. With a scream of panic, the teenager pulled the trigger. The black-haired woman's body jerked from impact. She stood, staring in fury at the girl, blood slowly running from the shot in her abdomen, just below the tattoo. 

"Oh god..." Kelsea whispered, as Jadoku fell to her knees, one hand pressed to her wound. The woman's eyes remained hard, glaring at the girl as she pulled out a small transmitter remote. Kelsea squeaked and jumped back as she pushed it. The injured female chuckled softly.

"A worthy adversary may prove to be an interesting diversion from those pathetic agents. You'll live, for now," she said, as a helicopter appeared. Within a minute, Jadoku was gone, leaving behind the stain of her blood, and the dead snakes. Kelsea looked at her hand. It was shaking, badly. She let go of the gun, watching it clatter to the cement. _I had the chance? Why didn't I kill her?_ the girl wondered silently. _Because it's not your nature. You don't know how to take a life any more prominent than a reptile. Even then, you feel deep shame,_ a voice whispered in her head. She sighed, covering her face with her hands. Suddenly, the world started to revolve again. Kelsea remembered her sister.

"Molly!" she screamed, running over and dropping to her knees at Molly's still form. Her big sister had gotten worse as the poison had worked it's way through her body. She was almost at death's door. 

"Kelsea! Molly!" a voice shouted behind her. The blonde turned around partially to see Enrique running up to them. He skidded to a stop, seeing the snakes, the girls.

"Ric! Come on, Molly's hurt!" Kelsea called, gesturing. In a second, the young man was by the girls. Gently, he checked Molly over for injuries. He turned white, seeing the bite mark in her arm. He quickly scooped her into his arms. Kelsea rose as well.

"I'll take her back. You want a ride?" he asked, jerking his head in the direction of his car. The blonde McGrath shook her head.

"Just hurry," she said calmly. Enrique nodded, and hurried to his car, pausing just long enough to collect Dokuhebi's body. Kelsea looked around, sighed, and ran back to her cycle. She briefly wondered if her mother knew what had been going on.

Rachel was at N-Tek when Kelsea arrived. The teenaged girl wasn't surprised when her mother rushed up to her and hugged her on sight.

"I was so worried," the elder woman said quietly. Her daughter smiled sheepishly, brushing a lock of her hair behind her ear. Berto appeared behind them. The younger blonde turned around to face him. The Spanish man nodded to Rachel in greeting.

"_Hola, chica._ I heard about that stunt you pulled," he said, fixing Kelsea with a stern look. The teenager fidgeted a little, offering a smile, missing the light in his eyes.

"Am I in trouble?" she asked, a little worriedly. Rachel chuckled, placing her hands on her daughter's shoulders. Berto's frown dropped from his face as he tried to hold back laughter.

"Not in the least, Kelsea. You saved your sister's life. I'm very proud of you," the girl's mother assured. Berto nodded his agreement.

"Not many could have done what you did, Kelsea. You're either very good, or else very lucky," he added, lightly punching his "niece" in the shoulder. The young woman brightened, but it quickly melted into worry.

"What about Molly? Were we in time?" she asked seriously. Rachel smiled reassuringly at her youngest child, and nodded to the medical bay doors.

"She'll be just fine, Kels. You and Enrique got her back in time. She should be awake in a little bit," the mother promised calmly. Kelsea looked relieved. Then, a hopeful smile crossed her face. 

"Mom, do you think, um...that I could get my agent badge a little early?" she asked, rubbing her arm sheepishly. Rachel sighed, glancing past her daughter's shoulder at Berto. He chuckled softly, and shrugged.

"She saved her sister from Jadoku, lived through the encounter, has a max-probe transfusion...I'd say she qualifies," he added, smiling. The older blonde frowned at him, and put her hands on her hips, looking to her daughter. Kelsea looked innocent.

"All right, how much did you pay him to say that?" she asked, before all three laughed. The moment it died down, however, the youngest McGrath was looking at her mother with a hopeful expression.

"Really, can I?" she repeated, a pleading note in her voice. Rachel eyed her youngest daughter, and sighed, putting her hand to her forehead.

"If you weren't female, I would think that you were either your father, or at least a clone of him. Yes, you can join. If you're sure that's what you want to do," she said finally. With a whoop of joy, Kelsea hugged both her mother and her "uncle" in rapid succession, then tore off to find Enrique to tell him the good news. Both adults were silent for several long moments.

"You've got some amazing kids, Rach," Berto commented finally, looking at Rachel. She looked at the medical bay doors, and nodded.

"I know. I just hope they live longer than their father," she said softly. The younger man opened his mouth of offer a remark of some kind, but shut it. What could one say to that? 

*****

  


Several hours later, Molly finally woke. With a splitting headache. Groaning and putting a hand up to block out the bright over-head lights, the girl wondered what in the world had happened. She remembered going to the pier to meet Enrique, then Jadoku appearing. Judging by how sore she felt, the young agent was sure she'd been beaten up rather badly by the woman.

"Mol-Mol?" a voice asked above her head. Surprised, Molly dropped her arm, and looked up. The bright light was dimmer. Kelsea was hanging over her, a worried expression on her face. She brightened immensely, seeing her older sister awake, and hugged her.

"Hey, baby girl. Wanna tell me what happened?" the black-haired girl asked, yawning. Her little sister settled on the bed near the foot, legs folded under her, and looked serious.

"Jadoku attacked you. Almost killed you, too. But, you'll be fine now," she said, smiling. Molly sighed, and settled back against the pillows.

"That's good. How long am I gonna be in med?" she replied, trying to stretch, and frowning at the tubes connected to her arms.

"A few days at most. But hey, guess what?" Kelsea replied, excitement entering her tone. Molly raised an eyebrow at her.

"I'm half-conscious on morphine or something, baby girl. Bottom line it," she retorted. Her sister puffed out her chest a little, smiling proudly.

"I'm an official N-Tek agent!" she announced brightly. The older sister laughed.

"Congratulations, Kels!" she said, as enthusiastically as she could manage. Her sister suddenly looked rather thoughtful. Molly raised an eyebrow.

"I need to come up with a name for myself," the younger sister muttered. The elder one chuckled softly.

"How about, in memory of dad, Maxy?" she suggested, then giggled weakly. Kelsea fixed her with a fake glare, and folded her arms thoughtfully.

"As if that wasn't a given. Nah, I want to be daringly different. Like, oh, I don't know... Metallica?" she said finally. Molly started to laugh so hard, her little sister got worried that she'd hurt herself.

"Baby girl, that's the name of a rock band. Pick again. How about...Copper?" the older sister said, when she was able to breathe again.

"Copper?" she echoed, raising an eyebrow. Molly snorted softly, trying not to giggle.

"Hey, you said I got points for originality, not sensibility!" she laughed. The blonde sister thumped her on the leg, just below the knee.

"No, I like it. It's good. Copper Steel," she added, passing her hand over her face. Molly yawned again. The anesthetic wasn't completely finished with her.

"Matches your hair, too, baby girl," she observed. Kelsea, Copper, hopped off the bed, and smiled at her sister.

"Thanks, sis. I'll let you get some more rest," she said, delivering a quick hug to her bed-ridden sibling, then rushing out the door. Molly closed her eyes, wondered briefly how weird it was going to be, seeing her little sister on the field beside her, then dropped into a fitful sleep. Copper left the medical bay, and headed for her sister's quarters. Almost mechanically, she went through the motions of opening the door, walking to the bed, and collapsed on the piece of furniture, huddling into a ball. The shock had left her temporarily, but was now back. 

*****

  


Jadoku, leaning slightly on a cane, stood by the window in her office. A bandage bulged slightly from under the front of her pants, covering the bullet wound Kelsea had given her. Behind her, the door opened. John Dread, somewhat gray-haired but mostly unchanged after all the years, stepped into the room. He walked across the carpet, and stood quietly behind Jadoku.

"How are you feeling, my dear?" he asked with all his old charm. The black-haired woman sighed softly.

"The _koukouji_ is more unpredictable than I expected, _teishu_," she replied reflectively, her free hand moving down to her abdomen. Dread sighed, coughing politely into his hand.

"Jadoku, really. We have been married more than 15 years. Must you keep calling me that?" he said calmly. She turned around, and fixed him with a cool stare.

"Enough of your petty complaints. I think it's about time we brought our _kiri-fuda_ out of cold storage," she announced, walking, with difficulty, towards the door. John muttered something under his breath, but followed her.

"Are you certain you will even be able to revive him?" he asked as the two of them walked down the halls. Jadoku paused a moment to catch her breath.

"Of course I am sure. I took utmost precautions with him," she said primly, her face impassive. The stage had been reset. New had replaced old. A legacy reborn.

  


_So yes...the fist actual episode of "My Father's Daughter." A bit short, but hey, I'm working on it! Trust me, once everyone's up and running full speed, it'll get much better. Catch ya later! Luv ya all!_

-Maxy Steel

  


_A few quick translations, for those of you who don't know Japanese..._

  


Daija- big snake (it's the name of the boa, but still means something) 

Dokuhebi- poisonous snake (the viper)

_shuugeki- _attack

_shuurai-_ attack (different commands, same meaning. So the snakes don't get confused)

_koukouji- _impudent youth

_teishu- _husband

_kiri-fuda- _trump card

  



End file.
